Quality recording?

[Andreeew]

Hi.


I've got no experience with recording and stuff so what exactly do I need to record drum tracks to my computer? Obviously I'll need mics, and what else? like a mixer or something? Any help would be appreciated

[el presidente]

I hate to be a pesimist but your first recording expierience probably will not produce the sound you really want. I'm not saying don't do it. I am saying do it but don't get too down when it gets difficult. To get a really solid recording you need alot of cash and alot of time to put into learning and gaining expierence.

[Andreeew]

I'm willing to learn and willing to spend.

[xush]

what's your computer setup?
you can input from Firewire, USB, or PCI-soundcard/breakout box.

If you go the Firewire or USB route, you'll need an interface to plug your mics into.

Let us know what's available on your computer and we'll go from there.
Depending on the interface and software you choose, you may not need a mixer.
Most folks do the mixing in the software these days.

I just setup a Macbook w/ a firewire interface, it's pretty simple.

[Andreeew]

ack...computer stuff... i suck at those. I think I'll get someone to tutor me the basics(my drum teacher or something)... thanks for the help anyway.

just so i know the basics: what do I need? mics and a mixer and what else?

[xush]

well, that's just it; you may not need a mixer.

You may only need an interface, but we need to know if your computer has Firewire or USB ports. It would help to know how much RAM you have too, or you may not be able to run too much simultaneously.

How many tracks do you want to record at a time?

[Andreeew]

by USB port you mean like uh...where I plug the iPod? Lol sorry im a complete computer noob. I just want to play a groove and record it to my computer. probably play with a song or something like that

[1DrumBum]

Andreew, if you get a mixer, make sure you get one with a USB output. Quite a few people I know have bought mixers without it and ended up wishing they had as they had to buy another interface and/or soundcard or could not record tracks they way they wanted to.

[ratmycue]

here we go again computer geeks who go off at 300 miles an hour and take for granted that everybody knows what they are babbling on about.
I am in the same position, Ive got drums acoustic and electronic. I have a computer with a usb port as you call it and the man at the store said it is dual core and lots of ram, thats all I know so what do I do next , and dont babble about gigs and bitz coz it turns me off.
when I went to school it was a manual typewriter and maybe a calculator if you were rich.
so what do I plug in from my electronic kit and where do I plug it in, and then what do i do after I hit things, Im a drummer for gads sake.

[xush]

all right, I'll take one last shot at it.
If you're really interested in 'quality recording' on your computer, you're going to have to learn at least a little about your system so as to get the most out of it and it will only get MUCH more complicated when you get into running software, miking the kit, mixing, etc.

I'll post some links, maybe others can explain it better.
I'm sorry if my input isn't helping, but I'm trying- everything it took to get me up and running on my new Mac I found by researching online. It really pays to read up a bit, there's so much info out there that can really help.
again, I apologize if this isn't addressing your needs

basics on computer recording:
http://www.acousticfingerstyle.com/C...Recording1.htm

home recording site:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rongonz/home_rec/home.html

http://homerecording.com/digital.html

[ratmycue]

I knew this wasn't going to be easy, but here is my info. I have an intel pentium4 cpu 3.00ghz, 1.00gb ram, free disk space is 141gb. So what I have read is I can download software for free called Gold wave, that I like so far.
what cable do I need to take out of my yamaha dtxpress 4 ? do I need to ask yamaha or is it real simple plz help.

[xush]

what cable do I need to take out of my yamaha dtxpress 4 ?

the simplest approach (but not the best quality) would be to run an instrument cable from the OUTPUT L/MONO (mono 1/4" phone jack) on the drum module to your PC mic input (you'll probably need an 1/8 adapter for the computer input)

For better quality (or more inputs) you will need an interface from your drum module (or mics on acoustics) to your computer. We can discuss that further if you're interested in it, but it raises the budget a good bit and can get quite complicated (there are so many incompatibilities that can arise w/ your PC, it's hard to generalize) There's also a LOT of info on interfaces and how they work on those pages linked above.

[ratmycue]

the simplest approach (but not the best quality) would be to run an instrument cable from the OUTPUT L/MONO (mono 1/4" phone jack) on the drum module to your PC mic input (you'll probably need an 1/8 adapter for the computer input)

For better quality (or more inputs) you will need an interface from your drum module (or mics on acoustics) to your computer. We can discuss that further if you're interested in it, but it raises the budget a good bit and can get quite complicated (there are so many incompatibilities that can arise w/ your PC, it's hard to generalize) There's also a LOT of info on interfaces and how they work on those pages linked above.

thx very much for the info, I will do some reading, it may take a while but thx.

[xush]

I hope it works for you; it can be so tricky to troubleshoot- every computer/software/hardware combo is different. But that simple route should be pretty straight forward.
Looking forward to hearing the results.